U.S. patent number 10,276,977 [Application Number 15/944,057] was granted by the patent office on 2019-04-30 for electrical connector with lever and method for operating same.
This patent grant is currently assigned to DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is Delphi Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to Lukasz Kot, Pawel Lesniak.
United States Patent |
10,276,977 |
Lesniak , et al. |
April 30, 2019 |
Electrical connector with lever and method for operating same
Abstract
An electrical connector includes a connector housing configured
to receive a corresponding mating connector, a cable guide cover
attached to the connector housing, and a mate assist system for
assisting in mating to the corresponding mating connector. The mate
assist system includes a lever moveable to assembly, open, and
closed positions. The lever includes gear means connected with a
slider in the connector housing. The lever moves the slider to a
first, second, and third position. The lever is releasable and
attachable to the connector housing only in the assembly position.
The cable guide cover is attachable to the connector housing only
when the lever is in the closed position. The slider has a
releasing means cooperating with a releasing means of the
corresponding mating connector to unblock the slider while mating
and enabling movement of the lever to the closed position, thereby
moving the slider to the third position.
Inventors: |
Lesniak; Pawel (Tarnow,
PL), Kot; Lukasz (Suloszowa, PL) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Delphi Technologies, LLC |
Troy |
MI |
US |
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Assignee: |
DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (Troy,
MI)
|
Family
ID: |
58578902 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/944,057 |
Filed: |
April 3, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20180309237 A1 |
Oct 25, 2018 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Apr 19, 2017 [EP] |
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17167068 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/62977 (20130101); H01R 13/6295 (20130101); H01R
13/506 (20130101); H01R 13/639 (20130101); H01R
13/62944 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/62 (20060101); H01R 13/639 (20060101); H01R
13/629 (20060101); H01R 13/506 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;43/157 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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722203 |
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Jul 1996 |
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EP |
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2276122 |
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Jan 2011 |
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EP |
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2006331991 |
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Dec 2006 |
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JP |
|
Primary Examiner: Riyami; Abdullah A
Assistant Examiner: Imas; Vladimir
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Myers; Robert J.
Claims
We claim:
1. An electrical connector, comprising; a connector housing
configured to receive a corresponding mating connector; a cable
guide cover attachable to the connector housing; and a mate assist
system configured to assist mating to the corresponding mating
connector, wherein the mate assist system comprises a lever
pivotably arranged on the connector housing, wherein the lever is
pivotable from a lever assembly position, to a lever open position,
and to a lever closed position, wherein the lever comprises gear
means engaging with a slider, wherein the slider is slideably
disposed in the connector housing, wherein the slider comprises
complementary gear means for engaging with the lever for
correspondingly sliding the lever from a slider first position to a
slider second position and from the slider second position to a
slider third position, wherein the lever is releasable and
attachable to the connector housing only in an assembly position
and wherein the cable guide cover is attachable to the connector
housing only when the lever is in the lever closed position,
wherein the slider is blocked in the slider second position by a
cable guide cover blocking means, cooperating with a slider
blocking means, and wherein the slider comprises a slider releasing
means configured to cooperate with a corresponding mating connector
releasing means to unblock the slider while mating, thereby
enabling movement of the lever to the lever closed position and
moving the slider to the slider third position.
2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the
electrical connector defines a mating axis, a mating direction
along the mating axis, a sliding axis perpendicular to the mating
axis, and a pivoting axis perpendicular to the mating axis and the
sliding axis.
3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the gear
means comprises a rack and pinion system, wherein a gear wheel is
formed on a free end of a lever arm of the lever, and wherein a
plurality of teeth is formed on the slider.
4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein a hole is
formed on the free end of the lever arm, cooperating with a shaft,
protruding along the pivoting axis from the connector housing,
holding the lever pivotably, wherein the hole comprises a coding
slot extending perpendicular to the pivoting axis, wherein the
shaft comprises a rib portion extending perpendicular to the
pivoting axis from the shaft and whereby the lever arm is movable
along the pivoting axis, when the coding slot and the rib portion
are aligned along the pivoting axis.
5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the
coding slot and the rib portion are aligned along the pivoting
axis, when the lever is in the lever assembly position.
6. The electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein the cable
guide cover comprises a cover protrusion protruding outwards, along
the pivoting axis from the cable guide cover, whereby the cover
protrusion is positioned accordingly to cooperate with the lever to
prevent movement from the lever open position to the lever assembly
position.
7. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the cover
protrusion prevents mounting the lever when the cable guide cover
is attached to the connector housing.
8. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the cable
guide cover blocking means comprises a tongue protruding from the
cable guide cover into a recess (52) in the slider, thereby
blocking the slider.
9. The electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein the cable
guide cover comprises a tongue and whereby the slider releasing
means comprises a flexible arm formed on the slider, whereby an end
portion of the flexible arm is arranged adjacent to the tongue and
aligned along the sliding axis with the tongue, the flexible arm
comprises a release protrusion protruding inwards of the connector
housing into a receiving portion, configured to receive a portion
of the corresponding mating connector, whereby the corresponding
mating connector releasing means pushes the release protrusion out
of the receiving portion while mating, thereby flexing the flexible
arm outwards and moving the end portion out of alignment to the
tongue.
10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein the
slider and the flexible arm are made integrally formed in one
part.
11. The electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein the
tongue extends along the mating axis in the mating direction and
the flexible arm extends along the mating axis opposite to the
mating direction.
12. An electrical connector assembly, comprising the electrical
connector according to claim 1 and further comprising the
corresponding mating connector.
13. The electrical connector assembly, according to the claim 12,
further comprising an electric wire, wherein an end of the electric
wire is connected to at least one electrical contact connected to
the connector housing.
14. A method for assembling an electrical connector, comprising the
steps of: providing a connector housing configured to receive a
corresponding mating connector, a cable guide cover attachable to
the connector housing, and a mate assist system configured to
assist mating to the corresponding mating connector, wherein the
mate assist system comprises a lever pivotably arranged on the
connector housing, wherein the lever is pivotable from a lever
assembly position, to a lever open position, and to a lever closed
position, wherein the lever comprises gear means engaging with a
slider, wherein the slider is slideably disposed in the connector
housing, wherein the slider comprises complementary gear means for
engaging with the lever for correspondingly sliding the lever from
a slider first position to a slider second position and from the
slider second position to a slider third position, wherein the
lever is releasable and attachable to the connector housing only in
an assembly position and wherein the cable guide cover is
attachable to the connector housing only when the lever is in the
lever closed position, wherein the slider is blocked in the slider
second position by a cable guide cover blocking means, cooperating
with a slider blocking means, and wherein the slider comprises a
slider releasing means configured to cooperate with a corresponding
mating connector releasing means to unblock the slider while
mating, thereby enabling movement of the lever to the lever closed
position and moving the slider to the slider third position;
positioning the slider in the connector housing in the slider first
position; aligning the lever according to the lever assembly
position; mounting the lever to the connector housing; moving the
lever to the lever closed position; and mounting the cable guide
cover.
15. Method for assembling an electrical wire harness, comprising
the steps of: providing electrical wires terminated by electrical
terminals, an electrical connector, and a corresponding mating
connector, wherein the electrical connector includes a connector
housing configured to receive the corresponding mating connector, a
cable guide cover attachable to the connector housing, and a mate
assist system configured to assist mating to the corresponding
mating connector, wherein the mate assist system comprises a lever
pivotably arranged on the connector housing, wherein the lever is
pivotable from a lever assembly position, to a lever open position,
and to a lever closed position, wherein the lever comprises gear
means engaging with a slider, wherein the slider is slideably
disposed in the connector housing, wherein the slider comprises
complementary gear means for engaging with the lever for
correspondingly sliding the lever from a slider first position to a
slider second position and from the slider second position to a
slider third position, wherein the lever is releasable and
attachable to the connector housing only in an assembly position
and wherein the cable guide cover is attachable to the connector
housing only when the lever is in the lever closed position,
wherein the slider is blocked in the slider second position by a
cable guide cover blocking means, cooperating with a slider
blocking means, and wherein the slider comprises a slider releasing
means configured to cooperate with a corresponding mating connector
releasing means to unblock the slider while mating, thereby
enabling movement of the lever to the lever closed position and
moving the slider to the slider third position; positioning the
slider in the connector housing in the slider first position;
aligning the lever according from the lever assembly position;
mounting the lever to the connector housing; moving the lever to
the lever closed position; inserting the electrical terminals to
the respective cavities in the connector housing; mounting the
cable guide cover to the connector housing; moving the lever to the
lever open position; mating the electrical connector to the
corresponding mating connector; and moving the lever to the lever
closed position.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a)
of Patent Application No. 17167068.02 filed in the European Patent
Office on Apr. 19, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to a connector assembly, and in
particular to an electrical connector assembly including an
automotive electrical plug connector connectable to a complementary
electrical connector to form an electrical connecting assembly with
a large number of pin contacts, of the type used, for example, to
connect a vehicle wiring system to an electrical distribution
center.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
The present invention will now be described, by way of example with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly
according to one embodiment;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1
showing a connector housing, a lever, a terminal position assurance
(TPA) device and a slider according to one embodiment;
FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c is a detailed view of a lever hole and a shaft
in a lever assembly position, a lever open position and a lever
closed position respectively according to one embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mating face of the connector
housing according to one embodiment;
FIGS. 5a and 5b are cross section views of the electrical connector
of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment;
FIGS. 6a and 6b are cross section views of the electrical connector
of FIG. 1 mated with a corresponding mating connector according to
one embodiment;
FIG. 7 illustrates the electrical connector connected with the
corresponding mating connector with the lever enclosed position
according to one embodiment; and
FIG. 8 shows the connector housing with the attached lever
according to one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An electrical connector includes a connector housing configured to
receive a corresponding mating connector, a cable guide cover
attachable to the connector housing, and a mate assist system
configured to assist in mating to the corresponding mating
connector. The mate assist system includes a lever that is
pivotably arranged on the connector housing. The lever is pivotable
from a lever assembly position to a lever open position and from
the lever open position to a lever closed position. The lever
comprises gear means engaged with a slider. The slider is slideably
provided in the connector housing. The slider comprises
complementary gear means for engaging with the lever.
Correspondingly, the lever slides from a slider first position to a
slider second position and from the slider second position to a
slider third position. The lever is releasable and attachable to
the connector housing only in the assembly position. The cable
guide cover is attachable to the connector housing only when the
lever is in the closed position. The slider is blocked in the
slider second position by blocking means of the cable guide cover,
cooperating with a blocking means of the slider. The slider
comprises releasing means for cooperating with releasing means of
the corresponding mating connector, to unblock the slider while
mating, enabling movement of the lever to the closed position,
thereby moving the slider to the slider third position.
The an electrical connector enables free movement of the lever
while assembling the terminals with attached wires. After all
necessary terminals are equipped a cover is assembled to the
connector housing that locks the lever in a predefined, safe
shipping position. Finally arrived in the assembly plant where the
mating to the corresponding mating connector is conducted, the
lever is unlocked by the corresponding mating connector. Because it
is not possible to move the lever of the connector before mating
the electrical connector to the corresponding mating connector,
there is a feedback for the operator that indicates that the
connector is mated properly. The slider and the flexible arm
comprise sloped areas that cooperate with each other to allow
movement of the slider after assembling the cable guide cover. Due
to this the lever is moveable from the closed position to the open
position.
A method for assembling an electrical connector, in particular an
electrical connector is presented herein. The method comprises the
steps of; providing a connector housing, a cable guide cover, a
lever and the slider; positioning the slider in the connector
housing in a slider first position; aligning the lever according to
a lever assembly position; mounting the lever to the connector
housing; mounting the cable guide cover; and move the lever to a
lever open position.
A method for assembling an electrically wire harness comprising,
electrical wires with terminals on the ends, a corresponding mating
connector and an electrical connector is also presented herein. The
method comprises the steps of; providing electrical wires with
terminals on the ends, the corresponding mating connector, a
connector housing; a cable guide cover, a lever and a slider;
positioning the slider in the connector housing in a slider first
position; aligning the lever according from a lever assembly
position; mounting the lever to the connector housing; moving the
lever to a lever closed position; inserting the terminals to the
respective cavities in the connector housing; mounting the cable
guide cover to the connector housing; moving the lever to a lever
open position; and mating the connector to the corresponding mating
connector moving the lever to a lever closed position.
The connector may define a mating axis, a mating direction along
the mating axis, a sliding axis perpendicular to the mating axis,
and a pivoting axis perpendicular to the mating axis and the
sliding axis. The lever pivots around the pivoting axis and moves
the slider back and forth along the sliding axis. When the
electrical connector is mating with the corresponding counter
connector the connectors are moved along a mating axis, towards
each other.
The gear means may include a rack and pinion system, whereby a gear
wheel is formed on a free end of a lever arm of the lever and
wherein a plurality of teeth is formed on the slider. The rack and
pinion system translates the rotation movement of the lever into a
translation movement. This design provides a robust gear
system.
A hole may be formed on a free end of a lever arm of the lever,
cooperating with a shaft, protruding along the pivoting axis from
the connector housing, and pivotably holding the lever. The hole
comprises a coding slot extending perpendicular to the pivoting
axis. The shaft comprises a rib portion extending perpendicular to
the pivoting axis from the shaft. The lever arm is movable along
the pivoting axis, when the coding slot and the rib portion are
aligned along the pivoting axis. This design provides protection,
for the lever, from accidentally slipping from the shaft while
being operated. While operation the lever is guided between the
connector housing and the coding rib.
The coding slot and the rib portion may be aligned along the
pivoting axis, when the lever is in the lever assembly position.
The coding slot and the coding rib are only aligned in this
position. Only in this position the shaft can be moved into the
hole of the lever. Thereby it is moved until it is stopped by the
connector housing. To assemble or disassemble the lever, the cover
has to be removed.
The cable guide cover may include a cover protrusion protruding
outwards, along the pivoting axis from the cable guide cover. The
cable guide cover protrusion is positioned accordingly to cooperate
with the lever to prevent movement from the lever open position to
the lever assembly position. To prevent the movement of the lever
to the assembly position while the cable guide cover is mounted,
the cable guide cover comprises protrusions protruding from the
outer surface of the cover. The protrusions can have the shape of
ribs limiting the range of the pivoting lever to positions between
the open position and the closed position.
The cover protrusion may prevent the lever from accidental
dismounting from the electrical connector. The cover protrusion
blocks the lever movement to its assembly position. So it is not
possible to dismount the lever from connector before dismounting
the cover. The cover protrusion prevents mounting the lever when
the cable guide cover is attached to the connector housing. This
prevents issues while service e.g. in a garage. The protrusion
protrudes close to the shaft from the cable guide cover and blocks
the movement opportunity of the lever arm along the pivoting axis,
moving towards the connector housing. This makes it impossible to
assemble the lever while the cable guide cover is mounted. This
prevents misassembling of the electrical connector.
The blocking means may include a tongue protruding from the cable
guide cover into a recess in the slider, thereby blocking the
slider. This design is a simple but effective locking system for
the slider.
The cable guide cover may have a tongue and whereby the releasing
means of the slider comprise a flexible arm formed on the slider,
whereby an end portion of the flexible arm is arranged adjacent to
the tongue and aligned along the sliding axis with the tongue. The
flexible arm comprises a release protrusion, protruding inwards the
connector housing into a receiving portion, configured to receive a
portion of the corresponding mating connector. The releasing means
of the corresponding mating connector, push the release protrusion
out of the receiving portion while mating, thereby flexing the
flexible arm outwards and moving the end portion out of alignment
to the tongue. The flexible arm is guided around the tongue of the
cable guide cover while mating. The arm can have a rectangular
cross section with a bigger extension along the sliding axis to
improve the robustness against forces acting along the sliding axis
and a smaller extension perpendicular to the sliding axis to
improve flexibility perpendicular to the sliding axis.
The slider and the flexible arm may be formed integrally in one
part. The flexible arm is a part of the slider and can be
manufactured in one turn with the slider. That design safes costs
and makes additional parts unnecessary.
The tongue may extend along the mating axis in a mating direction
and the flexible arm extends along the mating axis opposite to the
mating direction. The cable guiding cover can be assembled also in
limited building spaces. The probability of damaging or breaking
the tongue is limited because the tongue does not protrude to
outside of the cross-section of the cable guiding cover.
The electrical connector assembly may include an electrical
connector and may further encompass the corresponding mating
connector.
The electrical connector assembly may also include an electric
wire, wherein an end of the electric wire is connected to at least
one electrical contact connected to the connector housing.
The electrical connector assembly may further include cam means
configured to move a terminal positioning assurance member (TPA).
The terminal positioning assurance member is movably connected to
the connector housing. The TPA member comprising complementary cam
means for engaging with the cam means of the slider configured to
move the TPA member correspondingly from a TPA first position to a
TPA second position and from the TPA second position to a TPA third
position
FIG. 1 shows as non-limiting example of an electrical connector 1
including a connector housing 10 configured to receive a
corresponding mating connector 100, a cable guide cover 90
attachable to the connector housing 10 and a mate assist system
configured to assist in mating to the corresponding mating
connector 100. The mate assist system comprises a lever 30
pivotably arranged on the connector housing 10, wherein the lever
30 is pivotable from a lever assembly position 40 to a lever open
position 42 and from the lever open position 42 to a lever closed
position 44 (best shown in FIG. 5). The electrical connector 1
comprises a mating axis X and a mating direction XD along the
mating axis, a sliding axis Z perpendicular to the mating axis X
and a pivoting axis Y perpendicular to the mating axis X and the
sliding axis Z.
FIG. 2 shows the connector housing 10 the lever 30 and the slider
50 in an exploded view. The lever 30 comprises gear means engaging
with a slider 50. The slider 50 is slideably provided in a slider
receiving portion 14 inside the connector housing 10. The slider 50
comprises complementary gear means for engaging with the lever 30,
for correspondingly sliding the lever 30 from a slider first
position 60 to a slider second position 62 and from the slider
second position 62 to a slider third position 64. The lever 30 is
releasable and attachable to the connector housing 10 only in the
lever assembly position 40. The gear means comprises a rack and
pinion system whereby a gear wheel 36 is formed on a free end 33 of
a lever arm 32 of the lever 30 and wherein a plurality of teeth 51
is formed on the slider 50. A hole 34 is formed on a free end 33 of
a lever arm 32 of the lever 30, cooperating with a shaft 18,
protruding along the pivoting axis Y from the connector housing 10,
holding the lever pivotably. The hole 34 comprises a coding slot 38
extending perpendicular to the pivoting axis Y, wherein the shaft
comprises a rib portion 19 extending perpendicular to the pivoting
axis Y from the shaft 18. The lever arm 32 is movable along the
pivoting axis Y, when the coding slot 38 and the rib portion 19 are
aligned along the pivoting axis Y. The connector comprises also a
terminal positioning assurance member (TPA) 80. The terminal
positioning assurance member 80 is movably connected to the
connector housing 10.
FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c show detailed views on the hole 34 and the
shaft 18 in the lever assembly position 40, the lever open position
42 and the lever closed position 44. In the lever assembly position
40 the rib portion 19 and the coding slot 38 are aligned. In the
lever assembly position 40, the slider 50 is in the slider first
position 60, in the lever open position 42 the slider 50 is in the
slider second position 62 and in the lever closed position 44 the
slider 50 is in the slider third position 64.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the mating face of the connector
housing 10. The connector receiving portion 16 surrounds the
cavities 12. In the lever open position 42 and in the lever closed
position 44 the lever 30 cannot be attached to or removed from the
connector housing 10.
FIGS. 5a and 5b show the electrical connector 1 in a cut view. FIG.
5b shows details in enlarged form. The cut is carried out along the
sliding axis Z to remove the outer wall of the connector housing 10
to better show the rack and pinion system. The gear wheel 36
interacts with the teeth 51 of the slider 50 for correspondingly
sliding the lever 30 from a slider first position 60 (not shown) to
a slider second position 62 and from the slider second position 62
to a slider third position 64 (not shown). An opening 20 in the
connector housing 10 and a cam groove 66 are provided to guide pegs
(not shown) attached on the outside of the corresponding mating
connector 100 while mating. The skilled person understands how the
positions cooperate with each other. The cable guide cover 90 is
attachable to the connector housing 10 only when the lever 30 is in
the lever closed position 44. The slider 50 is blocked in the
slider second position 62 by blocking means of the cable guide
cover 90 cooperating with a blocking means of the slider 50. The
blocking means comprises a tongue 92 protruding from the cable
guide cover 90 through a lock opening 22 into a recess 52 in the
slider 50, thereby blocking the slider 50. The releasing means of
the slider comprise a flexible arm 54 formed on the slider 50. An
end portion 56 of the flexible arm is arranged adjacent to the
tongue 92 and aligned along the sliding axis Z with the tongue
92.
FIGS. 6a and 6b show the electrical connector 1 and the mating
connector 100 in a cut view. FIG. 6b shows details in enlarged
form. The cut is carried out along the mating axis X. The slider 50
comprises releasing means for cooperating with releasing means of
the corresponding mating connector 100, to unblock the slider 50
while mating, thereby enabling movement of the lever 30 to the
lever closed position 44, thereby moving the slider 50 to the
slider third position 64. The flexible arm 54 comprises a release
protrusion 58 protruding inwards of the connector housing 10 into
the connector receiving portion 16. The connector receiving portion
16 is configured to receive a portion of the corresponding mating
connector 100. Releasing means of the corresponding mating
connector 100 push the release protrusion 58 out of the connector
receiving portion 16 while mating, thereby flexing the flexible arm
54 outwards and move the end portion 56 out of alignment to the
tongue 92.
FIG. 7 shows the electrical connector 1 connected to the
corresponding mating connector 100 with the lever 30 in the lever
closed position 44. The cover protrusion 94 prevents to move the
lever 30 from the lever open position 42 to the lever assembly
position 40 and also from mounting the lever 30 when the cable
guide cover 90 is attached to the connector housing 10. The cover
protrusion 94 protruding outwards, along the pivoting axis Y from
the cable guide cover 90 and acts as an end stop for the lever 30.
The cover protrusion 94 is positioned accordingly to cooperate with
the lever 30 to prevent movement from the lever open position 42 to
the lever assembly position 40.
FIG. 8 shows the connector housing 10 with attached lever 30. The
cavities 12 are only in this position fully accessible to be
equipped with terminals. The lever 30 is freely movable around the
pivoting axis Y.
While this invention has been described in terms of the preferred
embodiments thereof, it is not intended to be so limited, but
rather only to the extent set forth in the claims that follow. For
example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof)
may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many
modifications may be made to configure a particular situation or
material to the teachings of the invention without departing from
its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the
various components, and the number and positions of the various
components described herein are intended to define parameters of
certain embodiments, and are by no means limiting and are merely
prototypical embodiments.
Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and
scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art
upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention
should, therefore, be determined with reference to the following
claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such
claims are entitled.
As used herein, `One or more` includes a function being performed
by one element, a function being performed by more than one
element, e.g., in a distributed fashion, several functions being
performed by one element, several functions being performed by
several elements, or any combination of the above.
It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second,
etc. are, in some instances, used herein to describe various
elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms.
These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.
Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. does not denote
any order of importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc.
are used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a
first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a
second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing
from the scope of the various described embodiments. The first
contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not
the same contact.
The terminology used in the description of the various described
embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particular
embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the
description of the various described embodiments and the appended
claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to
include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly
indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term
"and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all
possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed
items. It will be further understood that the terms "includes,"
"including," "comprises," and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Additionally, directional terms such as upper, lower, etc. do not
denote any particular orientation, but rather the terms upper,
lower, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another and
establish a relationship between the various elements.
* * * * *